New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-10-30
KING AND POPE AT PEACE.
PLAYING INTO EACH OTHERS HANDS FOR
THE WELFARE OF ITALY.

THE WELFARE OF ITALY.
tFRoh An OCCASIONAL coRHEsfoSpENr OF TIE TRpTSE]
In my last letter to THE TRIBUNE drew atten-
tion to the necessity of gaugng the present state of
affairs IN this country not by the speeches and
writings of its statesmen prelates and newspapers
but rather by the acts which silently being
complished. The latter are almost always IN direct
contradiction to the former. popularity which is
mainly due to the fact that the Italians although
loquacious, voiube and even Incorporate IN the
use of their eloquent language singularly cool
headed cautious and calculating in all their dOings
They speak holly, but act codly. Thus if one
were to judge by the tone Of the speeches delivered
Throughout the Kingdom on September 90 in cele-
bration of the anniversary of the capture Of Rome
in 1870, one would be led to believe that all ideas
Of reconciliation between the Church and State
were at an end: and yet at that very moment the
municipal provincial and parliamentary elections
IN progress throughout the country showed that III
every case the names of the Government candidates
were identical with those put forward and support
ed by the Papal party.
Some six weeks ago Royal proclamation was
issued ordering that tithes should no longer be
levied for the maintenance Of the parish priests
OF course immense outcry was raised by the
partisans of the Vatican; protests on the subject
were as plentiful showers in spring; and the
news of this new act of aggression and persecution
country of the world. Leo XIII would however
have been greatly exasperated If any Of his con-
fdential agents and advisers had been dense enough
TO content themselves with literal Interpretation
Of his lnvectives against the Government The
Holy Father better than any else, able to
appreciate at its full value this apparent act of
spoliaton by the Quirinal. The tithes have always
been most unpopular tax, extremely difficult to
collect. and constituting perpetual source of dis
hatry fha op1t hair nnoly
Italian peasant is Of an exceedingly thrifty and
even avariclOus disposition; and grudged bitterly
having to pay tenth part of his annual in
come to his priest under pain of both spiritual and
legal penalties Now although strange silence
has been observed on the subject both at home and
abroad 1t is nevertheless fact that at the same
time that King Humbert put an end to the payment
of tlthes his Government undertook the regular
payment of the stpends of the parish priests The
latter now figure together with their bishops and
archbishops the annual budget OF the Royal
Department of Pablo Worship. and are In reality
delighted thus to have exchanged a precarious in
come for O fixed annual salary.
Although it is not generally known OF tside of
Rome, something very much the occurred two
or three years ago, when with one fell swooD y
the Government cOnfiscated the whole of the vast
landed possessions of the Propaganda Eide. The
Vatican protested that the latter was an interna
tional institution, and that Its property was de-
rived from gifts legacies and offerings from almost
every nation under the sun. The Papal Nuncios
abroad were instructed to request the intervention
of the courts to which they accredited. AMI a
lawsuit was begun by the Vatican in the Roy
al Courts of Justice at Rome, course of action
which in itself constituted acceptance of the
new order of things The decision rendered by the
tribunals confirmed the act of cOnfscatioD, the
halfheartea diplomatic protests by Spain and one
or two other Catholic Governments were answered
by q curt intimaton thai the Italian Government
would brook interference In its internal affairs,
while the faithful in all countries Of the world
FASTENED to pour fresh contributions into the ex
cbequer of the Propaganda Eide in order to dlmin-
ish the deficit caused by tie loss of the revenues
from the landed property That was al that the
outside world ever heard OF tho matter. Those
however who were hero at the time, and able to !
follow the course of events with an impartial eye
long in discovering that this apparent act
of robbery the part of the Government far from |
being what il seemed on the surface, formed IN real
ity part.and parcel of, almost Machaveilian |
policy on which an understanding snbsisted be-
tween the Vatican and the Qurina The fact is
that owing 10 lack of enterprise and to eXecrable
management the landed possessions of the Propa-
ganda Eide, far from being a source of great reve
pue, constituted almost burdenon lis exchequer,
and were annually becoming less productive
their fullest value, and presented the Propaganda
Eide with Italian Treasury bonds for the entire
amount. These bonds bear an annual interest oil
Der cent to per cent, which constitutes much |
larger revenue than the Propaganda had ever been
able to derive from the confscated lands. Curl |
ousy enough the same peculiar silence was OBJ |
served :ntlis matter in that of the stipends OF
the parish clergy alluded to above and strange as
1t may sound TO this very day few people are aware
Of the fact that the Church received considerably |
more than qud pro quo for the property OF which
it had beeu " robbed"
IL was not. however, to the interest OF the Gov |
eminent to publish the true state OF affairs. The
Cabinet was just at that time directing its atten-
hon 10 the creation of vast Colonial policy for
the Kingdom. The expedition to Nassowah was IN |
the cou of being DISPATCHED and dreams OF a |
great Italian Colonial Empire similar TO that OF
England in India, of France in Algeria, and OF Bel
GUM on the Congo, were-and for the matter OF
that are still prevalent throughout this country.
The past histories of England. France, Spain and |
Portugal show that missionaries have always con-
ytituted the advanced guard OF Colonial exDedi- !
tons, and King Humberts ministers we're keenly
alive to the advantage of increasing the number OF
Italian missions abroad and iof sending out ennis
paries of Church and State combined to every
uuarterof the globe II was with this object in
view that the resources at the disposal OF the Pro-
paganda augmented in the manner related
above. The reason of the silence observed in con
pection with the transaction at once becomes APP
parent. For " no would imagine that after all the
mutual recrminations which have taken place be
tween the Vatican aud the Qnirinal these poor
Italian missionaries of the despoiled Propaganda
preparing the way not only for the sign Oh the
Cross but also fox the Royal Standard of Savoy. In
this manner the Propaganda Eide from being the
great central organization foe spreading nterna-
tional Catholicism throughout the world. has be